Puigdemont alleged that his detention puts him in the same situation as other Catalan MPs held behind bars in Spanish prisons, such as the deposed vice president Oriol Junqueras and the activist Jordi Sànchez, who have been allowed to vote by proxy.

Pushback from unionist parties and parliament lawyers

The Catalan leader’s request was accepted by the pro-independence parties, which have a narrow majority in the chamber and control the parliament bureau. It is yet to be seen whether the deposed president will effectively be able to cast his vote in the next plenary session.

The decision was criticized by the main unionist parties in the parliament bureau, Ciutadans and the Socialists, who voted against the proposal. Parliament lawyers warned that allowing Puigdemont to vote by proxy could contravene Spain’s Constitutional Court rulings.